Seapony = Beach Tunes 4 Life [free Mp3]

Blue Star – Seapony

Where We Go – Seapony

Some music is simply meant for summer and can only be experienced with visions of the beach, swimsuits, rooftop picnics and large skirted dresses. The current trend of hazy California garage pop is so intrinsically set in the summer, the idea of listening to it at any other time is almost blasphemous.

Seapony’s (@seaponyband) debut LP Go With Me is the epitome of this mood. Lead singer Jen Weidl croons her light, breathy vocals over the type of throwback guitar riffs that were popular before Elvis’ stolen grit turned them mainstream. There’s a simple charm in this retro beach pop that conjures sepia-toned images anchored by Seapony’s alluring simplicity. There are no bells and whistles here, just major key pop sung by what I can only imagine is a very pretty girl in a jumper. The only addition to the straight-forward sound a the gauzy feeling given by the Best Coast-esq reverb. A layer of fuzz covers each of the songs that allows the sound to grow and feel more dense.

At a scant 35 minutes, the tracks still manage to bleed into one another. The simplicity that makes songs like “Go Away” and the breezy opener “Dreamer” amazing also works against the album when it’s experienced as a whole. The true charm of Seapony, though, comes after you cherry pick a few three minute nuggets from the bunch and set them aside with other tracks.

Some throwback pop is ephemeral in nature: it doesn’t add anything new to the nostalgia, it doesn’t illuminate something about the genre, it’s like cotton candy— just there for consumption. Just like cotton candy has its place at a ballgame, the airy melodies of Seapony have their place on a summer BBQ playlist. It’s not filled with a deeper meaning, yes, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not nice.